


Shelter

by Fireborn



Series: Snowed In [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Arendelle, Canon Compliant, Christmas fic, First Kiss, Flirting, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining Sora, Vaguely set post-KHIII, a lot of pining Sora, also a liiiitle angsty but mostly fluff, minor spoilers for Frozen 2, vaguely references KHIII secret ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-26 09:21:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21847375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fireborn/pseuds/Fireborn
Summary: Last night at dinner, Yen Sid had suggested for someone to go to Arendelle and retrieve a Christmas tree for the Mysterious Tower's living room. Sora had jumped three feet into the air, knocking his chair to the ground in the process. He hadn't missed the way Kairi and Axel rolled their eyes at each other, but he couldn't really care less.“Oh, pick me, pick me!”Master Yen Sid had leaned forward to rest his elbows on his table, his fingertips tapping against each other.“Very well. But there are still Heartless in the world of Arendelle. It is my opinion you should take someone with you, Sora, just in case.”“Yes, Master Yen Sid,” Sora said brightly.It didn't matter if Yen Sid thought Sora needed a babysitter. Sora knew just who he wanted to take. He turned to Riku, beaming so hard his cheeks hurt.
Relationships: Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Series: Snowed In [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1578454
Comments: 32
Kudos: 256





	Shelter

**Author's Note:**

> My Christmas fic for this year!
> 
> Thanks to Kai, Kristin & Steph for helping me with this fic!! (I feel so self-conscious about this fic I needed 3 people to help me, oops)
> 
> Also, this fic comes with [a pining Sora playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5ftAlLDXT2UWwWCpw8fPIK), if you like!

The day had started out perfectly. 

They arrived in Arendelle mid-morning to clear, blue skies and plenty of daylight left to hike up the mountain, pick out a perfect Christmas tree, bring it back down to the gummiship, and take off again. They'd be back at the Tower in time for dinner (it was Axel's turn to cook, and he'd promised Sora homemade pizza).

That was the plan, at least.

“Are you _sure_ we shouldn't have turned left back at those crossroads?” When Riku turned to Sora, there was a tiny frown on his face, just barely visible underneath his fluffy mint green hat; a hat, Sora thought, that made his eyes look strikingly vivid and pretty…

They had both received winter outfits from the Arendelle Castle staff to keep them warm during their trek up the mountain. Sora's outfit consisted of a waist-length red coat with black sleeves, a bright red hat and black boots. After putting it on, he couldn't wait to show Riku, but he completely forgot to gush the second Riku entered the room dressed in _his_ new winter clothes.

Riku's entire outfit was a bright mint green — hat, gloves, boots and a coat with black buttons — and it had taken Sora long, long seconds to realise he was staring. But even after realising this, he hadn't been able to stop, his lips parting in a soundless gasp until Riku was blushing, and Sora finally managed to look away.

It was just a fact that no matter when or how he was dressed, Riku always looked _good_ , but in this outfit, he just looked... _really_ good.

And here, up on the mountain, it made him stand out like a beacon amidst the blinding white snow covering the ground, the trees, the bushes, and the rocks all around them. Sora liked it. He liked how it made him _feel_.

Even if the feeling was a little inconvenient because he had no idea if his own outfit made _Riku_ feel the same way. If only he knew how to subtly bring this up, but subtlety had never been Sora's strong point...

He'd also kind of forgotten what Riku's question had been. 

“Sora?”

“Uhmmmm?”

Riku blinked, and Sora took an involuntary step forward so he could look at Riku's pretty eyes from up close.

“Sora…” Riku sighed.

So Sora did what he always did when Riku's voice sounded like that, it was an almost Pavlovian response; he pouted. “Of _course_ I'm sure, Riku. I have a _map_. A map that Kristoff drew me while you were getting changed, and he knows these mountains better than anyone.”

Riku pursed his lips, inhaled deeply, then exhaled while tipping his head back to look at the sky. His breath came out in a little puff of white fog, and Sora smiled without being aware of it as the steam dissipated.

He couldn't help but smile. Being here in Arendelle on a mission — with _Riku_ — was just fun. Walking through the snow with Riku was fun. Fighting Heartless with Riku was fun. Everything that involved Riku was fun. Sora felt a restless sort of energy just _being_ here with Riku, a combination of wild giddiness that made him want to show off and a weird sort of bashfulness he'd been feeling around Riku ever since they returned home from Shibuya.

He'd never felt like this around anyone else. He never _wanted_ to feel this way around anyone else, either.

Last night at dinner, Yen Sid had suggested for someone to go to Arendelle and retrieve a Christmas tree for the Mysterious Tower's living room. Sora had jumped three feet into the air, knocking his chair to the ground in the process. He hadn't missed the way Kairi and Axel rolled their eyes at each other, but he couldn't really care less.

“Oh, pick me, pick me!”

Master Yen Sid had leaned forward to rest his elbows on his table, his fingertips tapping against each other.

“Very well. But there are still Heartless in the world of Arendelle. It is my opinion you should take someone with you, Sora, just in case.”

“Yes, Master Yen Sid,” Sora said brightly. 

It didn't matter if Yen Sid thought Sora needed a babysitter. Sora knew _just_ who he wanted to take. He turned to Riku, beaming so hard his cheeks hurt. He hadn't been able to really get some alone time with Riku ever since they returned to the Tower and everyone wanted to know everything and then there were always _people_ around and… Maybe this would give Sora the opportunity to just _be_ with Riku. It would be _so_ much fun. 

And he'd been right.

When Riku looked back down from the skies, he returned Sora’s smile, his eyes so _bright_ in the afternoon sunlight that Sora's stomach did a few giddy flips. “Okay. If you’re sure.”

As Riku started walking again, Sora looked around himself for a brief moment. He was _pretty_ certain this was a clearing he recognised… He tried to picture the map that was currently stuffed in his trouser pocket. He didn't need to take it out; he had it memorised. It said to go straight in the clearing with a scattering of trees to the west, Sora was sure (almost). But there was a lot of snow all around, and it kind of made everything look the same.

Also, maybe Sora had gotten a little distracted while they were walking because stealing glances at Riku next to him was a lot more interesting than watching where they were going… These days, Riku's eyes sparkled like they used to do when he was little, and sometimes, when Riku looked at Sora, his face would go soft, and then Sora's heart would do this funny skipping thing that felt really nice.

Riku had grown so much in the years Sora had not (or barely) seen him. And even though Sora had grown too, Riku was still a foot taller, not to mention his arms were really…muscled. Sora had never really given this much thought before, but he thought about it now. A lot. He thought he'd be jealous, but jealousy didn't make your heart pound wildly every time your best friend looked at you, and it didn't make you want to reach out and _touch_ those muscled arms, and Sora knew it was something else.

Something else that he really, really wanted to talk to Riku about. But how?

So yeah, all in all, Sora was distracted. Yet, he decided, it was highly probable they were still on the right path to where Kristoff had told them the best Christmas trees grew, a little way up the North Mountain. Tall, thick Arendelle spruce trees with many branches, perfect for hanging up all the lights and ornaments that Kairi had dug up from some random backroom in the tower that she always managed to find. 

Kristoff had looked a little worried when Sora said he and Riku wanted to go up the North Mountain for one of those massive Christmas trees because there were signs of a snowstorm coming in later that day. But Sora had just grinned at him.

“It's okay! I've got Riku with me! He's a Keyblade Master — we can beat any snowstorm when we're together,” Sora had said, tossing a confident grin at Riku.

Sora liked the way Riku's cheeks and ears turned bright red at that. 

Maybe Sora's words had convinced Riku to relent and agree to make the mountain trek despite Kristoff's warnings. It was a little surprising, considering Riku was usually the _sensible_ one.

Or maybe Sora was rubbing off on him. Sora wasn't sure which idea he liked most.

Kristoff looked between Sora and Riku with a frown, but eventually, he'd led them to the stables where he gave them a medium-long wooden sleigh to borrow, on which they could take the tree back. Because Anna and Sven had set off to visit Elsa with Kristoff's sleigh, and all of the other reindeer were also being used during this busy time of year, the only sleigh left was a hand-pulled one.

“Riku, I've got a _great_ idea!” Sora grinned sideways, liking the way Riku's eyes immediately jumped to his when he started talking. “I can sit on the sleigh, and you can pull me up the mountain.”

Riku crossed his arms. “No way, Sora. Our _Hero of Light_ can walk up a mountain.”

Sora made a sad face, stuck his bottom lip out, and blinked up at his best friend. “Rikuuuuuuuuuu.”

“No.”

“What good is having a Keyblade Master as a best friend if you can't even pull me up a mountain?” It was a bit of a cheap shot, Sora could admit that.

Riku leaned closer, and Sora's eyes widened as their faces were only suddenly a few inches apart. For some reason, breathing was suddenly beyond Sora, and he felt his eyes widen.

“I'll tell you what, Sora,” Riku smirked. “I promise I'll rescue you if the Heartless get too much for you, how about that?”

Sora puffed his cheeks and exhaled directly across Riku's cheek, just to be contrary. “Bold of you to assume I'd need rescuing.”

“You sounded incapable of _walking_ just a minute ago.”

Before Sora could retort, Kristoff cleared his throat. “Uhm.”

Sora and Riku turned to him in unison, Riku a little sheepish, Sora mostly put out.

“You guys might want to get going. You'll need all the daylight you can get,” he said, unable to keep his gaze on the two of them for too long, for some reason.

So now Riku was pulling the sleigh _without_ Sora on it, but Sora realised he didn't even mind because this was also... _nice_. He got to walk next to Riku, sneak little glances up at him and bask in these funny little flips his heart did all the time around Riku these days (he wondered if it was dangerous. Maybe he should tell Riku about it, just to make sure it wasn't? Would it be a good way to bring up to Riku that Sora...thought about him _all the time_?). 

Despite all of these confusing thoughts, Sora still had a bit of a bounce in his step as they walked together, and every time he glanced at Riku he wondered if it would be okay to take Riku's hand.

He _really_ wanted to hold Riku's hand. He'd never wanted to hold _anyone's_ hand before...

Every now and then, Sora's thoughts were interrupted as they came across a small party of Popcats or Winterhorns, so he and Riku would summon their Keyblades, give each other little smirks — and if Riku's smirk made Sora's heart flutter, well… Sora could pass it off as pre-battle jitters — and rush into the fight.

It had been a while since Sora fought alongside Riku. They'd trained together, and Sora sparred _against_ Riku, of course, but whenever they sparred, Sora had to pay attention to what he was doing because he wanted to win. Now, naturally, he still wanted to win, but the Heartless here weren't so strong, and… Well… Watching Riku was a lot more interesting than watching Heartless, that was for sure.

Riku was so graceful, it was a joy to watch him fight. He pulled off spinning aerial attacks effortlessly, he cast Firagas and Aeroga spells as if there was nothing to it, and he was so fast he was mostly just a blur of silver and green above the snow-covered battlefield. Sora lowered his keyblade for a brief moment to just watch.

Of course, that was the exact moment a Winterhorn decided to headbutt him from behind, the blow sending Sora flying across the clearing. He let out a frustrated yelp as he tumbled through the air, trying to recover himself, but the skies had turned a light grey and the ground was white, and it was hard to differentiate between the two while he was spinning around his axis with the speed of a gummiship in its highest gear.

Sora crashed into a tree and landed upside down in the snow before promptly being covered by a heap of snow that came tumbling down from the tree branches. As Sora tried to right himself and use his keyblade to dig himself out of the pile, he hear Riku's loud “ _Sora!_ ” and the sounds of a series of rapid Keyblade blows getting closer and closer. 

Just when Sora had created a hole in the snow pile so he could peek out and see what was happening, Riku — a spot of colour in the white world around them — stood in front of the pile with an anxious look on his face.

“Sora!”

“Hnggg,” Sora spit out a mouthful of snow as he sent Riku his best ‘please feel sorry for me’ look. He held out his hand which Riku took to pull him up, glove in glove. Once Sora was back on his two feet, he shook his head like a wet puppy, sending snow everywhere. He didn't let go of Riku's hand (but then, Sora noticed with a little delight, neither did Riku).

“Are you okay?” Riku asked.

“No,” Sora pouted. His right side throbbed where he'd crashed into the tree. He'd live (probably), but Riku didn't need to know that. “I'm hurt, Riku, will you pull me on the sleigh now?”

Riku hung his head in pretend-exasperation. “Oh, Sora. What'll I do with you?”

Something squirmy inside of Sora made him take a step closer so he could take Riku's other hand as well. Just like he'd expected, it felt nice. “Is that a yes?”

Riku shook his head with a fond little smile. “Curaga.”

Bright green vines and leaves appeared around Sora's head, illuminating the ever more sombre air around them. The spell made a pleasant warm feeling spread through his body, seeping in through his skin until everything _tingled,_ and Sora closed his eyes as the warmth settled in his side until the pain disappeared.

Only Riku's Cure spells had this effect on him.

A shiver ran through him, and he was hit was the sudden urge to step into Riku's embrace and never let him go. Instead, he focused on the way the shiver amplified the warmth inside of his chest, and he hadn’t really been cold before in his new clothes and with the fighting, but now he _definitely_ wasn’t cold anymore.

When Sora opened his eyes again, Riku was smirking at him. “Told you you’d need rescuing.”

With just a hint of reluctance, Sora let go of Riku's hands to cross his arms in front of his chest. He huffed. “I totally had it.”

“You mean, you crash into trees all the time when you fight?”

“What if I did? It could be a great strategy to let myself be covered by snow. The Heartless won't know where I am and just...disappear.”

Riku shook his head, smiling. “You're incredible.”

“Thanks!” Sora piped up, taking this for the compliment it probably wasn't.

“Okay. We've only got two hours of daylight yet. We should go and find that clearing with the spruces Kristoff mentioned and head back.”

Sora opened his mouth to reply, but then he noticed a few snowflakes floating down between them, and he looked up to find that it had started snowing in earnest. Riku was probably right, they'd need to get a move on.

The problem was… By now Sora was only about fifty percent sure they were on the right path. They'd probably end up _somewhere_ — Sora always did — but he wanted to show Riku that, despite appearances, Sora _did_ know what he was doing most of the time. And, admittedly, Sora was always looking for an opportunity to show off to Riku as of late. It wasn't that he needed to _prove_ himself, but… He sighed.

Maybe this hadn't been his brightest idea ever. He eyed the falling snow dubiously.

“Let’s keep going, okay?” Riku made his way over to where he'd left the sleigh before their battle began.

As they set off again, Sora made sure to walk a little closer than was strictly necessary so his arm brushed Riku's every few steps. Sora didn’t move away, but neither did Riku.

The snow came down a little faster, but Sora barely noticed. He was more preoccupied with the dilemma of whether it would be okay if he took Riku's free hand. How would it feel to hold Riku's hand as they walked…? The idea once again made something wild flutter in his stomach, a now-familiar restless feeling he got around Riku _all the time_ these days. It was like a loud buzzing in his ears that wouldn't go away no matter what he did.

His hands were slowly growing colder, too. So holding Riku's hand would maybe warm them up?

He let his mind wander to all the other things he wanted to do with Riku. It would be really nice to hug Riku (for warmth, of course), or maybe even press his lips against Riku's cheek (just to see what that felt like)… Now wasn't really good time for any of this, Sora knew that, but Riku's cheeks were bright red and they'd probably feel ice-cold beneath Sora's lips, a little wet from the snowflakes, and just that thought made Sora do a few little skips in the snow, even when he'd slowly been growing a little tired.

He was really thinking too much about Riku, wasn't he? Ever since the end of the war, and their return home, he'd done nothing but think about Riku, really. About Riku's touch, and Riku's voice, and what it would be like to kiss— 

Suddenly, Riku's voice broke through Sora's reveries.

“I'm not sure we're still going in the right direction.”

Sora looked up, and then all around. _After that left turn, you'll come to the spruce area_ , Kristoff had said. But there were... surprisingly little trees around all of a sudden. Sora also couldn't remember a left turn.

He hated to admit it, but Riku was probably right. “Uhm… Maybe not…”

“Sora…” Riku turned to him, shaking his head. “Maybe it was a mistake coming up the mountain when Kristoff told us there would be a snowstorm. We should've planned this better.”

“But I had a _map_ ,” Sora said petulantly.

“I _told_ you we should have turned left back there.”

Sora put his hands on his hips. “And how do you know? Are _you_ the one with the map?” 

Riku pressed his lips together, and his face slowly settled into a frown. This time, it was a serious frown, though, and not his ‘Sora, you're being Sora’ frown. Instantly, Sora felt the butterflies inside him freeze and tumble to the pit of his stomach where they settled like cold pebbles. Maybe he should have paid more attention to where he was going, but it was hardly _his_ fault that Riku was so distracting, was it? He turned his best pouting face on Riku, but Riku just turned even more serious.

“Let's turn back before it gets dark. We'll just need to get one of the smaller trees to take back with us to the tower.”

“No!”

“Sora, it would be the _sensible_ thing to do.”

“But what about those tall Christmas trees Kristoff told us about?” And worse, what if Riku would be disappointed in Sora if they turned back now? That was possibly worse than being tree-less. 

Riku shook his head. “Let's face it: we're lost, we have no idea where those trees are. Also, the snowstorm is growing worse, and we're losing daylight fast. We have to go back.”

Logically, Sora knew Riku was right, but if they gave up now, that meant Riku had been _right_. Which would make Sora wrong, and that was not something that Sora could accept. But if they went on… Well, they would probably end up _somewhere_ , but Sora's fingers and toes had gone numb some time ago, and he only just now realised he was shivering. And this time, it wasn’t from a Cure spell.

He turned around to face away so he could fight against the tears threatening to rise, his shoulders slumping forward in defeat. He didn't want to fight with Riku; he _hated_ fighting with Riku. They'd had such a perfect day up until now… He had wanted to show Riku he could totally navigate a mountain and lead them somewhere, he wasn't helpless or incapable, and he didn't need Donald and Goofy around to guide him.

He was tired, and Riku being so serious made him cranky, which was maybe why he couldn't say the words to agree with Riku even though part of him _wanted_ to, even though he knew it was the wiser choice. Instead, he took a step in the direction they'd been going, but Riku reached out a hand to grab his wrist, so Sora didn't get far.

“Please, Sora. Going up there is a bad idea.”

“So you're saying I have bad ideas?” Sora let slip before he could stop himself.

“I'm not saying that,” Riku said with a patience that irked Sora more than he wanted to admit. “I'm saying _this particular_ idea is not a good one.”

Sora looked back at Riku, and though part of him wanted to get lost in Riku’s bright aqua eyes, the bigger part of him wanted to sulk in misery and wallow in the fact that he felt _stupid_ and _cold_ , and _ugh_ — no wonder Riku was disappointed in him. He was disappointed in _himself_.

“Please, Sora, let's be realistic about this,” Riku pleaded.

Sora pressed his lips together. Maybe it would be best if he said nothing at all. 

Riku was still holding his wrist — almost his hand — but it wasn't _at all_ how Sora had pictured it earlier. He lowered his head.

He hated this.

“Fine,” he said sullenly.

When Riku let him go and turned back around, Sora followed a few steps behind, mumbling under his breath that they could _totally_ have kept going.

But the snow was falling so fast now that Sora could barely see Riku's bright coat, even though they were only a few feet apart, and the wind blew the flakes into his eyes so hard it hurt, and the tears that appeared now were _totally_ from the cold winds.

After fifteen minutes of this, Riku stopped.

“What now?” Sora sighed.

“Look.” Riku pointed to a sign that was covered in snow. He brushed a gloved hand across the front, revealing a wooden sign with a little cabin on it and an arrow to the right path in the fork. “We should find that cabin and wait out the snowstorm there.”

Sora wanted to disagree on principle, but his left side had started to throb a little again, and the idea of walking two hours back down to Arendelle Castle — tree-less and cold and miserable — was more than he could bear to think about. So he huffed and started down the right path without a word.

With every step Sora took, the pain in his side radiated a little lower until his hip and thigh were hurting as well. Everything was cold, and he wished he wasn't so stubborn so he could apologise to Riku and maybe hold his hand for real because Riku was always strong and made him feel safe. And Sora didn't feel very safe right now.

After fifteen more minutes through the snowstorm, Sora could begin to make out the shape of a wooden cabin just right off the path. He was almost unable to hide his limp by now, and he was relieved to see their shelter for the night.

Once inside, he used his right foot to wriggle out of his left boot and then winced as his thigh cramped up and he almost doubled over in pain. He concealed the movement by pretending to stoop to take off his right boot before dropping his snow-covered coat, gloves and hat in the middle of the hallway. 

If Riku was always _right_ about everything and could do everything _better_ , then he could take care of _this_ as well.

Sora ignored Riku's exasperated sigh and moved into the main room of the cabin. It wasn't as cold as outside in the snowstorm, but it wasn't much better either, and he still couldn’t stop shivering. He looked around himself for a moment, taking in everything in the rapidly fading daylight. There was a bed in the corner, a large wooden chest, a fireplace with wood piled up next to it. There was even a kitchenette with a few cabinets and a countertop.

Sora wrapped his arms around himself in a futile effort to warm himself up, as he heard the door open and close behind him with a loud creak.

Sora deliberately didn't look at Riku. He didn't miss Riku's deep sigh, though, and Sora could just picture the accompanying eye-roll. Where had today gone wrong? He had wanted to impress Riku with his flawless navigational skills, maybe get a chance to _talk_ , and instead, he'd gotten them lost.

Sora sighed, too. This was all his fault, wasn’t it?

“If you start the fire, I’ll go and search for some blankets so we can get warm,” Riku’s voice wasn’t as indifferent as Sora had feared, so maybe… they could make up?

Sora moved towards the fireplace and stacked a few of the logs before setting them on fire with a small spell. Instantly, he felt the heat of them flames wash over him, and the tension in his muscles yielded slightly. He sat down on the cold wooden floor and felt very sorry for himself for a moment before Riku dumped an armful of blankets and pillows next to him.

“You wanna make a blanket fort?”

Riku's voice was soft, and Sora looked up at him. He couldn't read the expression on Riku's face, but Riku didn't look _mad_ , at least, so Sora silently took this for the peace offering it probably was. He debated for just a few seconds more, but he really didn't want to fight with Riku again; he just wanted to sit next to him in front of the fire… Maybe still hold his hand, maybe still _talk_ to him, and maybe talking would lead to _other things_ that he'd been thinking about for weeks now… 

So Sora got up, and both of them worked together to spread out a layer of thick blankets across the floor. Then they put two of the chairs on the sides to put a large blanket over as a makeshift roof.

When the fort was almost done, it was Riku who spoke up first.

“So, you had a map, huh?”

Sora nodded.

“Maybe we can use it to see where we are, and where we should go from here tomorrow?”

Sora reached into his pocket (good thing his trousers were weatherproof) and took out his map. He’d neglected to tell Riku it wasn’t really a _real_ map, and he sheepishly opened his hand so Riku could see the napkin with a few scribbled roads and trees drawn on it.

Now that he thought about it, maybe Kristoff could have been more clear…

Riku stood still, blinking comically at Sora's extended hand. “That?” he said with a strangled gasp. “That was your map?”

Sora closed his hand around the napkin, stuffing it back into his pocket.

And Riku, the jerk, _laughed._ “Sora, oh my god…”

“Uuughhh, _Riku._ ” 

He curled his hands into fists for a second and turned his back on Riku. With a wild gesture, he grabbed the closest blanket from Riku's _stupid_ blanket fort, before stomping off to the furthest corner where the bed was, the blanket trailing behind him, almost (but not completely, thank god) tangling between his legs. That would have made his retreat silly, and it would have made Riku laugh at him again.

“Sora, I'm sorry, okay? Don't be like that…”

But Sora was shaking with an anxiety he couldn't put into words as he sat and curled into himself on the bed, and Riku would _really_ need to come up with a better apology, and also why was this stupid snowstorm not over yet? Sora had magic, he should be able to blow away the snowstorm or Firaga it out of existence, but noooooo. Save the world from evil Keyblade Masters, get defeated by a stupid snowstorm and stuck in a stupid cabin with his stupid, stupid best friend.

Life was so unfair.

He knew it was probably not his smartest idea ever, okay? But Riku didn't have to _laugh_ at him, that was uncalled for. It wasn’t like _Riku_ did everything perfectly either. He— Sora sighed. Okay, maybe Riku did do everything perfectly. It was frustrating sometimes, Riku's step by step way of doing things. It wasn't _Sora's_ way of doing things.

He draped the blanket over his head and turned away from Riku and the flames to stare stoically out of the window, where darkness and the storm, now full-swing, obscured everything. The snow blew almost horizontally across the window, the rapid flakes illuminated a deep orange by the fire in the cabin.

Sora let his head fall forward against his knees. The blanket didn't help much, not when he was so far away from the fire, and he shivered. He was cold, his thigh still hurt, and to make makes even worse, his stomach grumbled in protest, too.

“Sora…” The laughter was gone from Riku's voice, which was… something, Sora guessed. Instead, his voice was delicate and kind, the way it sounded when he spoke to his Dream Eaters. “Come back to the fire.”

Sora pressed his lips together for a long moment, his eyebrows furrowed together even though Riku couldn't see his face. He didn't want to fight with Riku anymore, but he also didn't want to just _give in_.

“You didn't say _please_ ,” Sora said eventually, quietly, and he was surprised to hear how _tired_ he sounded.

There was a rustle then, and Sora heard soft footsteps padding across the wooden floor. They stopped in front of the bed. Sora lowered the blanket so he could glare at Riku, who had one of the navy blankets wrapped around his shoulder.

“Sora,” Riku said gingerly.

Sora was debating on how to respond. He was still glaring, but he could feel his face softening, and he was so _torn_ …

At that moment, Riku _opened his arms_ , and Sora felt his resolve crumble even more. He'd wanted to hug Riku again for so long, and _oh_ , this was really not fair… He shifted forwards on the bed just a little.

“Please?” Riku said, and part of Sora still didn't want to give in, but he was cold and miserable, and Riku was strong and warm and _right there_ , and this night would be a lot more enjoyable if they made up. 

He shifted forward a few inches more, and Riku took the navy blanket from his shoulders to wrap it around Sora's. The blanket was warm from Riku's body heat, and suddenly Sora felt tears pricking his eyes again. He brushed them away with the back of his hand, but then his shoulders heaved with a sudden sob, and then another.

He let himself fall forward, pressing his face into Riku's stomach, and Riku's arms went around him immediately. Sora was too tired to pretend he wasn't crying. But he had to admit that crying wasn't even that bad even though his eyes were itching and his breath stuck in his throat because Riku started to card gentle fingers through his hair, and that felt very, very nice.

“I'm sorry,” Riku whispered. “I'm sorry, Sora, I shouldn't have laughed at you. I didn’t mean to.”

“I'm not sure I can forgive you,” Sora said, but he made sure to make his tone joking because they both knew this wasn't true. But it would be nice if Riku apologised some more.

“I know you have just as much experience with travelling as I do, Sora. You do things your way, and you're good at it. Great, even. I didn't mean to imply you're not… It's okay if we do things differently. I could've gotten us lost here as well.”

Sora wanted to respond, but just then Riku lowered his hand to put it against the back of Sora's neck, and Riku's fingers were _cold_ , so Sora let out a displeased moan. “Riku…”

“Come back to the fire with me,” Riku said softly, and Sora could hear the smile in his voice. “We'll get warm together.”

Sora didn't say that that was what he wanted more than anything, but he did make a low humming sound against Riku's stomach. That made Riku tremble for a second, and tug Sora's head closer, so Sora made the sound again because Riku's trembling felt so nice.

He had completely relaxed, he suddenly noticed. Having Riku so close — finally, _finally_ — was really pleasant, even if it had taken a bit of a fight for them to get here. Riku's stomach was warm, and now that neither of them was talking or crying, he could feel Riku's heartbeat through his shirt. The fire crackled in the distance, and Sora sighed happily.

Riku pulled back and cupped Sora's cheeks with still cold hands. “Not that this isn’t nice, but…”

Sora felt himself blush as Riku slowly stroked his thumbs across Sora’s cheekbones, brushing away the remaining tears.

“It’s warmer in front of the fire,” Riku said with a smile that was equal parts suave and bashful.

Sora nodded. He stood up from the bed… But he was wildly unprepared for the fact that the move brought his face — tilted up to watch Riku's eyes widen — a little too close to Riku's. Riku's face was tilted down and his hands dropped from Sora's face to his arms to tug the blanket tighter around Sora and prevent it from falling off him.

They looked at each other for long seconds, and Sora felt himself start to shiver again. He would only need to move onto his tiptoes and— 

“Come on then.” Riku finally broke the silence, and was it Sora's imagination or was Riku's voice deeper than usual?

He let Riku pull him back to the blanket fort, and together they rearranged the blankets and the pillows so the fort was fixed up again. The only sounds in the cabin were the rustling of blankets and the crackling of the fire behind them.

Sora breathed deeply after they were done, inhaling the smell of smoke and the burning oak wood, and took a step closer to Riku. The warm orange glow of the fire was soothing, yet the jitters in his stomach returned a thousandfold. They were more overwhelming than the hunger now (which he'd all but forgotten about), and Sora realised once again what he wanted to bring up, what he wanted to _do_. When Riku's eyes went a little dark even though they were standing in the light of the fire, and those darkened eyes dropped to Sora's mouth for the barest of flickers, Sora only grew surer.

He took Riku's hand again and tugged Riku with him when he sat down on the blankets. He let the warmth of the fire sink into him, and when Riku sat down, he sat down _really_ close to Sora. They were pressed together — knees, hips and arms — and Riku rested their joined hands in Sora's lap.

Sora turned his head, but Riku was looking into the flames, his face unreadable, so Sora tightened his grip on Riku's hand. That made Riku turn to him.

“I want…” Sora started, but he didn't know how to finish that sentence. He wanted Riku close, and he wanted to bask in these feelings, and he wanted them to lie down, and he wanted to feel Riku's body against his, and maybe, maybe… But he didn't know the words to say any of this.

So he pushed a little until Riku got the hint and leaned back against the stack of pillows behind him. Sora hesitated then, because suddenly this was all a bit too much. They touched each other more and more these days, but they hadn't really… _cuddled_ together in years. Years and years.

But slowly, Riku reached out his hand, and that was all the invitation Sora needed. He folded himself against Riku's chest, his hands sneaking in between Riku's back and the blankets, and Riku's arms in turn wrapped around Sora's waist. The butterflies in his stomach danced like the snowflakes outside, and Sora couldn't stop the shiver from running through him. Riku shifted and spread his legs a little so Sora fit between them perfectly.

He'd been upset before, but none of that mattered anymore. Not when he felt like _this_ , safe and warm and _happy_. For long minutes, Sora just breathed, listening to the sounds of the flames and the rapid thump-thump of Riku's heart. It wasn't enough, but it was nice for now as the warmth from Riku's body and the fire seeped through his skin and into his bones. 

Still, there was so much left unsaid… 

“I'm sorry,” Sora started after long moments, because while Riku had laughed at him, he had apologised, but it was Sora who had gotten them lost, so he should apologise too. “I was… distracted today.”

“Oh?” Riku prompted gently.

Sora paused to breathe, and in the pause, Riku's hand came up — slowly, slowly — until it was pressed into Sora's hair again. Riku's fingers were warmer now, and Sora admitted to himself right then and there that he could spend all night wrapped in Riku's warm embrace and fantasise about what it would be like to lean back and shift upwards and… _kiss_ Riku. Because he really, really wanted to kiss Riku. A real kiss. On the lips. 

He pressed his mouth to the fabric of Riku's shirt, across the swell of Riku's chest — just to practice a little, he told himself. No one but him needed to know.

It was nice. Kissing Riku for real would probably be even nicer. But first— 

“I was distracted because...” Sora trailed off. It was hard to say why. So he changed the subject. “Maybe we shouldn't have gone up here when we knew there was going to be a snowstorm… But I really wanted one of those really large Christmas trees for the Mysterious Tower. You know how big the living room of the Tower is; one of those tiny trees really wouldn't look right… I'm sorry for being so stubborn, Riku.”

“It's not your fault,” Riku said, carding his fingers through Sora's hair in a way that felt really, really nice. Sora wrapped his arms tighter around Riku's chest in response, and when Riku started talking again, the vibrations in his chest echoed into Sora. “I could've spoken up, too. But…”

“Yeah?” Sora asked, breathless.

“I know how much you wanted that tree. And I thought it'd be nice to explore the mountain together. You may have been distracted, but I was too...”

“Riku...”

“So I guess we're both sorry.” Riku was silent for a very long time. When he spoke up next, his voice was so low that Sora had to stop breathing to hear the words. “What can I do to make it up to you?”

Well. Sora knew the perfect answer to that. “You could kiss me?”

There was a pause. A long pause in which Riku froze, so Sora froze too. All the butterflies inside of him stopped fluttering at once.

“I… I didn't...” _I was just joking_ , Sora wanted to add because now he'd made it _weird_. He wanted to take back the words, and why did he always blurt out the first thing that came into his head? Riku probably didn’t _want_ to, and that was fine, of course Riku wouldn't want to. Riku was cool and strong and really pretty, and Sora was just… 

“Okay,” Riku said, so softly Sora almost missed it over that rushing of blood in his ears and his racing thoughts. He pushed himself back up on shaky arms to look at Riku. 

“Really?”

Riku nodded. “I really… really want to kiss you.”

“I really want to kiss you, too.” Sora moved his right hand to Riku's left bicep. The muscle underneath his hand was relaxed, but there was still a bit of a curve underneath his thumb and fingers. His grip turned a little tighter. 

“Sora…”

Sora's eyes snapped to Riku's. 

He watched in slow motion, in awe, in _love_ , as Riku's hand came up against his cheek. Then Riku gently pulled him down just a little, and Sora moved with him. 

He wanted this. More than anything, he wanted _this_.

Then he got impatient because all of this was going so _slowly_ , so he surged forward the final inches to press his lips against Riku's. Their noses bumped together, and Riku closed his eyes while Sora forgot to close his. But it didn't matter, because everything inside Sora just _exploded_.

It was nothing like he'd imagined. He'd imagined Riku's lips being cold, and he'd imagined it would be just a brief touch, but this... _This_ …

This was warmer than the burning fire, softer than the blankets around them, louder than his pounding heart, sweeter than the oatmeal he had for breakfast, and more memorable than anything he'd ever done or felt before.

There was a whimper. Sora distantly realised it probably came from him.

And then Riku tilted his head and — _oooooh_ that was even _better_. Sora's eyes slipped shut as their lips slotted together again and caught a little, and then… Riku's hand was moving from his cheek to the back of his head, fingernails scraping lightly across his skin, and Riku made a small humming noise. Sora absently realised his left arm was twisted sort of weirdly, so he relaxed his upper body, and then, as he sunk down into Riku, everything inside of him just… slid into place. 

It felt so, so right.

Sora shifted his left arm so he was touching Riku's hair, fanned out across the blanket, twirling strands around his fingers, and he was pleased to realise that _yes,_ Riku's hair was as soft as it looked.

Riku pulled back just a little, and Sora let out a whiny noise that he didn't even feel embarrassed about. 

“Why'd you stop?” Sora tried and failed to stop himself from pouting.

Riku was panting, tiny gushes of air against Sora's cheek, and from this up close Sora could clearly see the flush spread across Riku's cheeks and nose. He pulled back a little, breathing hard himself, just so he could take in Riku's entire face. Riku's eyes were bright, his lips were dark, and his hair was a mess, but he was smiling so fondly that Sora felt his face settle into the sappiest grin ever.

“I…” Riku was shaking a little, so Sora cupped his cheek. Riku was hot to the touch.

“Can we do that again?” Sora asked as a little giggle bubbled up from deep inside him. It stood to reason that, since everything that involved Riku was fun, kissing Riku was fun, too. 

Riku laughed, but this time Sora didn't mind. This time it was warm and soft and clear, and Sora wanted to listen to the sound forever.

“You didn't say _please_ ,” Riku said, and his voice was so gentle and amused that it took Sora's breath away.

Sora shifted a little, and then both of Riku's arms were around his waist again, tugging them even closer together, and Sora let out a surprised little gasp.

“Please?” he asked breathlessly.

Riku rolled them over so now Sora was on his back, and Riku was straddling him a little, pressing into him. Before Sora could process this new position, Riku's lips were against his throat, and his _tongue_ was against Sora's skin, and Sora moaned, melting against the pillows underneath him.

“I forgive you,” Riku said between his nips against Sora's neck, and Sora blinked up at the blanket roof above them.

“What?”

“You were sorry. I forgive you.”

_Oh._

“I forgive you, too.” Only Sora's voice was shaking, and he sort of forgot what they were talking about while Riku's lips traced a path back to his mouth. Something else was much more important: “Now kiss me again.”

Riku did. This time, his lips were wet, and that made them slide against Sora's even better, and when Sora curled his fingers into Riku’s shoulders in response, Riku licked against his mouth. It was wet and a little fruity-sweet, and Sora instinctively parted his lips just enough in response, and if he thought kissing was good before, this time, when Riku's tongue slid in and against his, it felt...it felt…

There was heat all around him, inside of him, and his skin tingled everywhere, pins and needles, but _nice_.

He wanted to say Riku's name, he wanted to tell him how amazing this was, but Riku kept kissing him, long and deep and warm, and Riku's hands slowly moved underneath his sweater and every inch of Sora's skin was on fire, so Sora just gasped and moaned a little.

Riku was so _warm_ and so _close,_ and he tightened his legs around Sora's and they shifted a little together. And Sora trembled and squirmed a bit because he suddenly felt so _restless_ , he wanted Riku closer still, he wanted _everything_. Riku was trembling above him, against him, and this was all so much, and so amazing, it was unlike anything Sora had _ever_ felt.

When Riku pulled back, they had matching looks of wonder on their faces. Riku was still stroking across the bare strip of skin between Sora's sweater and his trousers, and it tickled a little so Sora squirmed again.

Riku laughed before collapsing against Sora. Sora's breath left him with an _oomph_ , but even though Riku was heavy, Sora had no intention of pushing him off.

“I take it back,” Sora said with a little giggle. “I'm not sorry anymore.”

“Oh?” Riku asked against Sora's neck, and Sora shivered again.

“We're here because I got us lost, and I like that we're here. So I like that we got lost.” Sora thought he was very clever. “Therefore, I'm not sorry anymore.”

Riku laughed, his hands stroking slow, soothing patterns against the bare skin of Sora's lower back. “I like your logic.”

“Thanks.” Sora moved one of his hands to brush through Riku's hair again, and he sighed deeply.

Riku rolled them over again, until this time they were lying on their sides, their faces just a few inches from each other.

“What…” Riku's hands stilled against Sora's back, and he closed his eyes for a long moment. Without opening them, he continued. “How long have you known?”

Sora blinked, trying to figure out what Riku was talking about. “Known what?”

“That you…” Riku opened his eyes, his face determined. “Like me?”

Sora opened his mouth to say _I've always liked you_ but caught himself just in time. Riku meant… _like like_. “Since we came back from Shibuya, maybe. I mean, I don't know for sure. I've always _liked_ you, Riku, it's just that I sort of always took it for granted… Because you're my best friend.”

Riku tugged Sora's sweater back down and moved his arm so he could touch Sora's cheek. “I always wanna be your best friend, too.”

“Me too.” Sora inhaled shakily, tightening his hand in Riku's hair. “I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out. I've never… I don't know a lot about…”

“It's okay. I've…” Riku blinked again, and was he… crying? A little? “It took me a long time to figure it out, too. To let myself _feel_ it. I like you, Sora. I really, really like you.”

Sora broke into a grin so wide his cheeks ached a little. “I'm so happy you feel the same… I mean, I sort of… _felt_ it, that you did? But I didn't _know_.” Sora paused, and his smile fell a little. “It's still a bit scary, though.”

“We'll figure it out. Together. Okay?”

Sora shifted closer, hooking his leg over Riku's calf. “Will it involve more kissing?”

Riku laughed, the sound a little wet, but he sounded so _happy_ , too. “I hope so.”

“Good,” Sora said, pressing his lips to Riku's again.

He had a feeling tonight might just become his favourite night ever.

**Author's Note:**

> "And the next morning, Sora woke up and looked out the window. And he spotted the perfect Christmas tree. The end." (That didn't fit in the fic, but that's totally how I had pictured it, haha.)
> 
> Come talk to me about Sora and Riku on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/fortheloveinyou) :)


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